I'm Done Mucking About

 

Time for my annual trompfest/cleanup of Crow Hollow Brook and the brook running from Merimere Reservoir, both in Hubbard Park.

Visit #1590, Saturday 21 March 26, 12:45-4:00PM, 3.0  miles, 42.2 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 50s, mostly sunny and breezy.

Last week, after painting over the graffiti, I kitted up for some litter patrol on the trails. Leaving the parking lot, I was stopped by a woman who asked if I was a city employee.

"No; why do you ask?" To which she replied she noticed all the litter in the brook.

"It's from all the 'outsiders'," she said.

"You mean to tell me locals don't litter, too?" I replied.

"It's from the "blank" outsiders, and I'll leave you to fill in the blank."

Whoa.

She had this look in her eyes like she made her own tinfoil hats. I knew I had to get away from her and quick, before she fitted me with one.

I clean the brooks and their banks once a year about this time anyway so that's what I did this week.

All the bags were disposed of properly.

Along the way I found Season of the Missing Glove 2025/26, entry #15.

In past years I wore a pair of wellies while trudging around the swampy banks and occasionally stepping in the water. But they had their limitations. I needed to up my game for those times when the water is really deep. 

This year my equipment rose to the occasion. Definitely the right tool for the job.

Almost complete with this annual task, I took a minute to rest and enjoy the view.

Back On Track

 Visit #1589, Sunday March 26, 10:35AM-1:25PM, 4.1 miles, 13.1 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 40s, cloudy with rain developing beginning early Monday morning.

With much of this winter's snow melted, it was time to address some graffiti which I noticed late last year on the I-691 underpass. I had been itching to get to it for months!

At that time, temps were too cold to paint over it. Conditions today were right to do so before Monday's rain.

Thanks to our detail oriented graffiti artist, you'll notice they dated the year of their work on the leftmost bridge piling. That assured me I wasn't off my game and missed seeing it for a lengthy period of time.

Reaching the site required going through numerous thorn bushes. I had expected this but didn't want to clear my path as I went, which would just make it easier for the next vandal, so I endured and left the growth untouched.

Good thing I checked my gray paint supply earlier this week. I didn't think I would have enough to complete the job so I bought a new can.

Looks nice and tidy if you ask me.

That took all of 45 minutes including the trip to and fro. I dropped off my paint and supplies, removed my coveralls, and started my regular hike.

Up at the water treatment plant I found a couple bags of trash left at the gate. Looking at the contents from the outside of the bags it didn't look like typical litter so I'm not sure whether there's a duplicate of me roaming the park.

A pleasant surprise: the camping gear I removed from Mine Island on a cold day back in January is gone. One fewer tasks for me.

Reaching the I-691 walkbridge I found six instances of this graffiti, which I removed. Much easier than the bridge pilings.

And here are this week's sticker entries on the fence post at the south end of the walkbridge, prior to my removal.

On the trail back to the parking lot I found Lee's medical admission bracelet. Identifying information has been redacted; it's just like The Epstein Files!

Back at the playscape parking lot, the garbage can was overflowing with trash. There's no way I was going to add to that pile, so I took it all home for Monday's trash pickup.

The Unseemly Side of Hubbard Park

 

The morning fog greatly reduced visibility. You might say it made things "un-see(m)-able".

Visit #1588, Saturday 7 March 26, 6:00-7:15AM, 2.2 miles, 18.8 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 30s rising to the 40s, cloudy, foggy, intermittent drizzle.

A quick assessment of trail conditions when I arrived at the park made me conclude it would be a slow slushy slog. I started walking on the road toward the trails and within seconds spied some litter and decided my time today would be better spent picking up trash within the park instead. With all the snow this year litter was virtually non-existent on the trails and other trail maintenance could surely wait a week or two.

So what triggered my change of plans?

I found more than one condom today.

I canvassed all the roads within the park. I wonder whether my findings were an accumulation throughout the winter revealed with the melting snow, or recent.

That's just a sample. I found DOZENS of nip bottles, with other alcoholic containers a close second. Food containers vied for top spot as well.

One unique find was on Notch Road adjacent to the bandshell.

A car went on a quick weight reduction program. It appears it spontaneously left the roadway, ran over some rock curbing, and...

I wonder whether the diversion was caused by snow or any of the substances I found in the park.

Best I could do with my hands being full is relocate the car parts to the skate house to hopefully be found and collected by the parks department. I must say the renovations to the skate house are stylish and impressive.

In total I collected two bags of litter but forgot to photograph the second bag.

Forecasts call for rising temperatures all week. With a little luck that will make the trails a little more accessible.

Turning Off The Water

 If hiking isn't your thing, here's an alternative form of exercise.

Visit #1587, Saturday 28 February 26, 8:45-11:15AM, 4.3 miles, 0.0 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 30s, rising to near 50, sunny.

With the higher temps and bright sun, the deep snow won't be here for long so I took my snowshoes out for perhaps a last romp on the trails.

First, my sticker collection for the week.

Just one week ago, I peeled off stickers from this spot. This week were two replacements.

And this I found on the trip back to the park.

I walked around Merimere Reservoir and put on my snowshoes when I picked up the Blue Trail at the north end. I planned on following it all the way to Castle Craig but got sidetracked when a long dormant thought popped into my head: I always wanted to follow all the way to its origin one of the brooks that feed the reservoir. I figured there's got to be a spigot at the source that I can shut off 😀.

Thus began a long, difficult journey through untrampled woods, harder than any trail in Hubbard Park.

Fallen trees, boulders, steep walls; it was quite the workout. And due to the warm weather I was shedding layers, including my hat and I'm almost NEVER without a hat.

I had only a vague idea where I might end up when I reached the top, but I could tell when I was near because I instantly felt a cold breeze across my cue ball head. Time to put the hat back on.

I never did find that spigot.

Snow was piled so high from the snowplow that I snowshoed along the top of the guardrail on the way back down.

I spied that word "Mondo" on the guardrail bumper. Whenever I hear or see that word I'm reminded of the song, "Mondo Bondage" by The Tubes. They were quite the live act in their day with one of their hit songs being "White Punks On Dope. Searching for an ahem, suitable for all audiences video of Mondo Bondage, I came up short, VERY SHORT. Search youtube if you dare. I'll leave you with audio, and your imagination.

You may need some exercise to clear your mind after that. A good snowshoe hike in Hubbard Park is the prescription.

Get Lost!

 

I suppose you could get lost in Hubbard Park if you're unfamiliar with the trails and it's dark.

Visit #1586, Saturday 21 February 26, 7:20-9:40AM, 4.3 miles, 0.0 lbs. of litter.

Temps climbing above freezing, reaching the low 40s, cloudy in advance of a nor'easter to arrive Sunday afternoon.

A couple hikers got lost at Ragged Mountain in Southington last week and had to be rescued.

A rescue required the first responders to have knowledge of the trail network, and that requires training. I wonder how familiar Meriden's first responders are with the trails in Hubbard Park?

Today's hike would lead me to another seldom used trail like last week, and trail conditions necessitated using BOTH crampons and snowshoes.

At the south end of Merimere Reservoir I met a frequent visitor to Hubbard Park who previously told me of a beaver lodge built on Merimere Reservoir. Today he pointed out to me where it was located.

It's on the south shore of Mine Island. No fezzes or secret handshakes; beavers just build lodges.

As temps crossed up over the freezing level, crackling and "raindrops" could be heard and felt. A passing runner even asked me if it was beginning to rain. I assured her it was not.

Things were just beginning to thaw.

I switched from crampons to snowshoes and began the trail descent. Along the way I spotted a balloon trapped in a dead tree. There are several fallen trees partial buried in snow on this trail. After the spring thaw I will remove them and retrieve the balloon.

At the end of the trail I walked the road around the reservoir and back to the park. Along the way I came upon and removed a couple stickers and a number of refrigerator magnets.

While I removed everything, I got especially excited about the magnets because I've got nothing better to do than add them to my refrigerator.

Alas, the magnets succumbed to the cold weather and were not redeemable.

Please don't go for a hike in the coming nor'easter and get lost, happy endings like the one linked to above aren't guaranteed.